After UFC 103, Vitor Belfort gave credit to karate (and Jesus-- a natural pairing) for his immaculate victory over former UFC champ, Rich Franklin. No surprise there, since "The Phenom" has been training in karate for years and has close ties with Lyoto Machida, the mixed martial arts Messiah of karate.

So, is karate is invading our sport, crashing in through the skylight and zipping down on a grappling-hook-rope? Or is there something about the essence of karate that helps Machida, Belfort, Anderson Silva or even Floyd Mayweather Jr. cut through their opponents like a samurai's sword?

Mike Goldberg misspoke (gasp!) when he warned, “Watch out for the initial blitz of Vitor!” at the beginning of the fight, a tactic that "The Phenom" is famous for.

Instead, Belfort hovered well beyond Franklin’s striking range, patiently analyzing Franklin’s movements.

How did this help Belfort? The extra distance gave Belfort plenty of time to react, especially since Franklin never closed the distance before he attacked. Instead, Franklin launched intercontinental ballistic punches that had little chance of landing and left him over-extended.

Belfort also adopted a much deeper (wider) stance than Franklin, who, like most mixed martial artists, uses a modified-boxing stance. Actually, this was new for Belfort himself, who had been known for his formidable boxing technique.

How did this help Belfort? Every time Franklin's strikes got close enough to land, Belfort’s strong base allowed him to use his legs and core-strength to fire off rapid counter-attacks and then circle out.

Watch Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s domination of Juan Manuel Marquez, and you'll see the same wide stance that allowed "Money" Mayweather to lunge forward and then rotate his upper-body away from attacks, much like a fencer.

While most of us clumsily try to cope with this three-dimensional world, stubbing our toes and epically missing the trash can as the imaginary buzzer sounds, fighters like Belfort and Machida are mastering time and space in the "Machida Era".

Don't get it twisted, though; karate isn't mystical; it's very much physical and scientific.

In 1993, Royce Gracie showed the world what a little leverage can do. Later, ground and pound masters like Mark Coleman allied themselves with the force of gravity, with devastating results. Machida, Silva and Belfort are now showing the world how to use time and space to one's advantage.

We'll always love those whose fight with heart and courage, qualities can't be measured, but we'll have no choice but to respect those who fight in harmony with the physical world.

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Paul Fladten said:

	... Cool piece Dom. I hope we get to see Silva and Belfort try to use size and space to bust each other's face real soon.
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September 21, 2009
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